Slavoj Žižek weighed in on the British moochocracy after the recent wedding. His blithering on monarchy matches his insights in his videos on comparative toiletry. They call him the rock star of Marxism because of the size of the boulders in his head. He says “Monarchy is the highest form of republic” & has a “radical emancipatory dimension.” He talked that kind of rubbish long before he got his job at the University of London but now he has financial reasons to sing for his supper. We await that time when Betty Windsor beckons him to the palace & he curtsies for all the world to see. Then at last will the socialists stop quoting him?

Many are uncomfortable with criticisms of Pope Francis or the Dalai Lama, as if it is disrespectful or offends religious liberty. When they speak on political issues, which they both often do, they are subject to the same scrutiny as any other political person. Neither has dispatched themselves very impressively, especially on the Rohingya genocide & they should be called out for it. Because deference to an eminent individual never preempts the interests of the oppressed. They influence millions of people & when they influence them to be indifferent, blasé, equivocal, or even collusive about genocide they need to be blasted even more than politicians because their stated mission is human morality. If they’ve lost their way, we need to guide them back through the pedagogy of harsh criticism. Amen.

Reposting this because I believe the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011 were politically & historically monumental. But too many analyses are dismissive of them as “Islamist” uprisings. Anyone who closely watched them will never forget their power or the advanced ideas they tried to put in action by bringing down dictatorships of one kind or another. This isn’t the most cogent piece I’ve written on the uprisings but one of the few remaining after FB deleted all of my posts from that period. A misunderstanding of their importance is partly behind support for the Assad dictatorship & for the counterrevolution against the Syrian Arab Spring uprising. Part of the virulence of Islamophobia is precisely to discredit these uprisings & justify repression, bombing, counterrevolution against them. If we want to understand why Islamophobia is a pivot of international policy, we need to understand that the US, Europe, Arab & other governments are terrified of what successful democratic movements would mean for all of humanity. The Palestinian, Kashmiri, Rohingya, & Uyghur struggles are every bit a part of that. We should not let the power of the Syrian revolution be buried in the rancid deceits of Assad’s propagandists & the corrupted antiwar movement.

The Arab uprisings that thundered on to the stage of history seem silent now; in some places, electorally outfoxed & everywhere subjected to brutal repression. With the election in Egypt of General Abdel el-Sisi, who led the military ouster of Mohamed Morsi (in 2013), it appears the entire uprising was for naught. But millions of people cannot participate in something so momentous & profound as the Arab uprisings & not be changed forever. Regimes do not use barbaric repression because they’ve brought the population to its knees.

The Bahrain uprising which began February 2011 doesn’t get much news coverage; of course, neither does Egypt. There is something of a news blackout for both countries. The differences between the two countries are massive: first of all, Bahrain only has 1,250,000 people; Egypt has 86,503,000. They’re both autocracies but Egypt is run by the military & Bahrain by a feudal monarch. The key similarity between them is their importance to US economic & political interests in the Middle East which explains why the strategies deployed against both uprisings are very much the same: excessive violence bankrolled & backed with a high-tech arsenal from the US.

After over three years of protest, the people of Bahrain know the odds against them more than anyone. Thousands have been killed, injured, incarcerated, tortured, & the regime has gained notoriety for the excessive, homicidal use of tear gas & birdshot. And still they rise! Despite a draconian decree last July banning protests, sit-ins, & all public gatherings indefinitely, a human rights monitor reported at least 837 protests in villages & town throughout the country just in April of this year with 195 of them attacked by riot cops. They also reported in that month that 170 protestors were arrested, including 29 children for rock throwing. There are checkpoints, people arrrested just walking down the street, & home raids in some cases by breaking down doors. And still they rise.

Tens of thousands of Bahrainis marched in February to commemorate the third anniversary of the uprising. Despite the protest ban & media predictions the event would be funereal, it was the largest rally since 2011. Protestors demanded democracy, political reform, & the release of all political prisoners. Despite media attempts to portray the uprising as a Sunni versus Shi’ite conflict, protestors chanted, “We will not stop until we achieve our demands. Shi’ites & Sunnis, we all love this country.”

One of the most inspiring things about the Bahrain uprising is of course the leading role of women–& women in veils. They have been in the streets leading protests for over three years & stand not only as a model for their children but as a beacon to suffering humanity everywhere by their intransigence & courage in the fight for freedom.

The Bahrain regime brought in high paid thugs from the US & the UK to advise their security forces how to handle mostly unarmed protestors. Here a young man thwarts a high-tech armored vehicle with a petrol bomb on May 30th in the village of Abu Saiba, just west of Manama.

Our fullest solidarity with the democracy movement of Bahrain & our deepest respect for their courage.

(Photo by Mohammed Al-Shaikh/AFP/Getty Images)

Worth reposting:
“We live in a world where if John commits a crime, John is responsible but if Muhammad commits a crime, Islam is responsible!”

–Mohammed Matter, June 2017

It is reported that Friday prayers ended peacefully at Jamia Mosque in Srinagar. Unlike last Friday when Indian occupying forces used tear gas & pellet guns within the mosque, injuring at least 100, including women & children. The reason there was no violence is that fewer Indian troops were deployed at the mosque after Kashmiri political leaders threatened protests. It was however after Friday prayers today that an Indian armored vehicle ran over a young man. He is in critical condition. It isn’t reported if that was near the mosque or not. Keep in mind, this is during an Indian army ceasefire for the holy month of Ramadan.

(Photo by Aman Farooq/GK)

This is an Indian army vehicle in Srinagar after Friday prayers today. Just a few weeks after an armored vehicle ran over & killed a young man, you can clearly see a fellow under the vehicle while others try to stop it. This isn’t reckless disregard for human life. It is genocide.

(Photo by Bhatt Burhan via Trending Kashmir)

Israeli human rights activist Ofer Neiman reports that Aida Touma-Sliman, the Israeli Palestinian who heads the Knesset Committee for the Advancement of the Status of Women, called a parliamentary session on the plight of Gazan women who seek cancer treatment in Israeli hospitals. She was accused by other Knesset members of abusing her position & they demanded a cancellation of the session. One politician said “These aren’t women in Israel. They’re in Gaza. Next she’ll want to talk about women in Ramallah & Nablus. I think we need to stop this immediately.” Another asked “Why not discuss Israeli women living near Gaza? They were the ones under attack.” That is the character of Israeli apartheid & genocide.

Many want to contribute to Rohingya refugees but don’t know where their money will be best used. Micheal Clinton, who is an Irish human rights activist & representative to the European Rohingya Council recommends this charity. If you go to their FB wall where you can donate you will see that many leading Rohingya activists, including Ro Nay San Lwin have liked the page, which I would take as an important endorsement of their work.

http://Many want to contribute to Rohingya refugees but don’t know where their money will be best used. Micheal Clinton, who is an Irish human rights activist & representative to the European Rohingya Council recommends this charity. If you go to their FB wall where you can donate you will see that many leading Rohingya activists, including Ro Nay San Lwin have liked the page, which I would take as an important endorsement of their work.

Please like & share this event which includes using June to educate about the problems faced by Rohingya children.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1919340651700206/

“Israel has every right to defend itself against these deplorable attacks by the terrorist groups Hamas & Islamic Jihad.”

This was tweeted on May 29th by Canada’s Justin Trudeau, the man of a thousand crocodile tears for Syrian refugees when he’s in front of a camera. He tweeted this in response to Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, who wrote “Canada strongly condemns the mortar attacks launched on Israeli civilians from Gaza, one of which damaged a kindergarten.” Such an attack never happened & is simply the Canadian analog to Kellyanne Conway’s Bowling Green Massacre. Will admirers of Trudeau finally give it up in the face of this vilification of Palestinians!?